Genesis 16; Genesis 17; Matthew 5:27-48

1 Abram's wife Sarai had not borne him any children. But she had an Egyptian slave woman named Hagar,

2 and so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Why don't you sleep with my slave? Perhaps she can have a child for me." Abram agreed with what Sarai said.

3 So she gave Hagar to him to be his concubine. (This happened after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years.)

4 Abram had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she found out that she was pregnant, she became proud and despised Sarai.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's your fault that Hagar despises me. I myself gave her to you, and ever since she found out that she was pregnant, she has despised me. May the Lord judge which of us is right, you or me!"

6 Abram answered, "Very well, she is your slave and under your control; do whatever you want with her." Then Sarai treated Hagar so cruelly that she ran away.

7 The angel of the Lord met Hagar at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur

8 and said, "Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She answered, "I am running away from my mistress."

9 He said, "Go back to her and be her slave."

10 Then he said, "I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them.

11 You are going to have a son, and you will name him Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your cry of distress.

12 But your son will live like a wild donkey; he will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. He will live apart from all his relatives."

13 Hagar asked herself, "Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?" So she called the Lord, who had spoken to her, "A God Who Sees."

14 That is why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me."

15 Hagar bore Abram a son, and he named him Ishmael.

16 Abram was eighty-six years old at the time.

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right.

2 I will make my covenant with you and give you many descendants."

3 Abram bowed down with his face touching the ground, and God said,

4 "I make this covenant with you: I promise that you will be the ancestor of many nations.

5 Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations.

6 I will give you many descendants, and some of them will be kings. You will have so many descendants that they will become nations.

7 "I will keep my promise to you and to your descendants in future generations as an everlasting covenant. I will be your God and the God of your descendants.

8 I will give to you and to your descendants this land in which you are now a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan will belong to your descendants forever, and I will be their God."

9 God said to Abraham, "You also must agree to keep the covenant with me, both you and your descendants in future generations.

10 You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you.

11 From now on you must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old, including slaves born in your homes and slaves bought from foreigners. This will show that there is a covenant between you and me.

13 Each one must be circumcised, and this will be a physical sign to show that my covenant with you is everlasting.

14 Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my people, because he has not kept the covenant with me."

15 God said to Abraham, "You must no longer call your wife Sarai; from now on her name is Sarah.

16 I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings among her descendants."

17 Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?"

18 He asked God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?"

19 But God said, "No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will name him Isaac. I will keep my covenant with him and with his descendants forever. It is an everlasting covenant.

20 I have heard your request about Ishmael, so I will bless him and give him many children and many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make a great nation of his descendants.

21 But I will keep my covenant with your son Isaac, who will be born to Sarah about this time next year."

22 When God finished speaking to Abraham, he left him.

23 On that same day Abraham obeyed God and circumcised his son Ishmael and all the other males in his household, including the slaves born in his home and those he had bought.

24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,

25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

26 They were both circumcised on the same day,

27 together with all of Abraham's slaves.

27 "You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery.'

28 But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.

29 So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go off to hell.

31 "It was also said, "Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'

32 But now I tell you: if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also.

33 "You have also heard that people were told in the past, "Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.'

34 But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne;

35 nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

37 Just say "Yes' or "No' - anything else you say comes from the Evil One.

38 "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.

40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well.

41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.

42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.

43 "You have heard that it was said, "Love your friends, hate your enemies.'

44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.

46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!

47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!

48 You must be perfect - just as your Father in heaven is perfect.